Reminiscing
by energy
Summary: the gang sits around on xmas eve and thinks about harry. sappy ending. gotta love it. sort of a sequal to Seamus Klaus. check them both out. oh yeah, R/R or you'll only get coal this year.


This is a bit of fluff that I just had to write down. It is set a few years after my first fic, Seamus Klaus. You might want to check that one out first, but you don't have to. It is a lot brighter than this one, and a bit funny too. Anyway, a few people have gathered on Christmas Eve at Ron's house. And Action!  
  
The mailbox at the end of the drive reads 'Weasley'. Snow falls gently and dusts the house white. The sun has long gone down and the moon has long come up. The world outside is serene and peaceful. Colored lights on the house cast shadows across the lawn. The inside of the house is brightly illuminated in one room. Looking through the window, five people sit around the fireplace and in front of a Christmas tree.  
  
The air inside is a mixed one, one of happiness and past sadness, for as a happy Christmas Eve as this is, it is also the fourth anniversary of Harry's death. The five people have gathered to share this time with one another and remember their friend. Ron, Hermione, Neville, Draco, and Colin sit in the cozy room drinking a spot of wine. All but one of the group has now graduated Hogwarts, and Colin is midway through his last year.  
  
"And when he showed up and fought off the two death eaters to save me, I couldn't believe it. It was all my fault that I got caught anyway. He risked his own life to save me. I thought he'd be with me for all time. Harry was bulletproof. Until, well, you know, the last battle with Vold- Voldemort." Colin could barely finish the last part, and once he did, he broke down into a fit of soft sobs.  
  
"Colin, we all know how much he meant to you. You two were perfect together." Hermione said as she reached over and gave Colin a big hug.  
  
"I know. I just still wish that we had more time together. Those two years seemed like forever ago now. Sometimes, I still think I hear him. Four years later, isn't that silly?"  
  
"Not at all Colin. Some people have such a profound effect on us that they never quite go away, even after they die," Draco replied. "I still think about him all the time, too. I thank him everyday for freeing me from my self. If it weren't for Harry, I'd probably be either dead now, or in an asylum." Draco sighs and wipes a hand across his eye.  
  
"He was the one that convinced me to let go of all my hate and anger, you know," Draco said after the rest of them were quiet for a few seconds. "Harry told me that I was my own person, not just a puppet of my father."  
  
"He always thought that there might be a speck or two of good in you, even when the rest of us didn't. I often wondered if you even had a soul for a while," Ron spoke up.  
  
"I wonder that about myself back then too. Harry was the one who brought it out, I guess."  
  
After a few soundless heartbeats, this time it was Hermione who broke the silence. "I'll always remember how Harry finally got me and Neville together. Remember, honey?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. I'm surprised he didn't just kill us both, the way we were acting. two months of the two of us acting like four year olds."  
  
Neville grinned at that comment. "Two months? Maybe two years. You always liked each other, but neither of you would admit it. It was like pulling teeth to get you two to talk some of that time."  
  
"Well, it might have been five years, but I think it was worth it," Hermione said.  
  
"I don't know,..." Neville joked.  
  
"Neville!"  
  
"I'm only kidding, baby. It was worth it."  
  
"So, Ron, when is Seamus getting home?" Draco asked.  
  
"He'll be here in the morning, he's with his folks this Eve." Ron responded.  
  
"Are the rest of his family as crazy as he is?" Neville asked.  
  
"You don't even want to know. Compared to his mother, Seamus is bloody normal, and that's saying something there. Last year, when we got to her house, she was Riverdancing in the front yard with his father. Scary, really." Ron shook his head and faked a shudder at the thought of last Christmas.  
  
"Those crazy Irish. Riverdancing, really. In the snow." Draco grinned and laughed.  
  
Colin smiled at this last exchange, but was looking at his hands. He thought back, to that Christmas eve a few years ago at the Gryffindor Christmas party. Seamus had gotten the two of them together and things had gone on from there. Colin turned his attention to the bracelet on his wrist. Harry had given it to him the night he died. 'Harry Potter loves Colin Creevey Forever' was engraved on the inside. A single tear ran down his face.  
  
"Colin, what's wro- oh. Colin, I'm sorry." Hermione had seen him playing with the bracelet. "This must not be very easy for you, is it?"  
  
"Actually, I feel better talking about him, even though I miss him terribly. I guess it is nice hearing other people talking about how they remember him." Colin answered.  
  
"One thing that Harry was good at was giving you lasting memories," Draco said. "I remember quite a few momentous occasions. Him nearly falling off his broom in the first year, winning the Tri-Wizard tournament, the two of you, Colin, when the rest of us walked in on a private moment. Did your face ever get red.."  
  
"I had forgotten all about that, Draco. McGonnagal was there too. Oh, that was bad. What was it she said?"  
  
"She said, 'oh dear, I do believe that I've lost my mind. I think I'll go look for it.'" Ron injected, tears of laughter falling from his eyes.  
  
Colin was laughing again, his spirits buoyed by all the pleasant memories. At that moment, the clock on the wall struck 'go to bed' and everyone looked amazed that so much time had passed.  
  
"Oh, my, I didn't know it was this late," Hermione said. "we'd better go, Neville, we have to be at my parents in the morning.  
  
Neville stood up and yawned. "Yep, we'd best be going. Ron, Colin, Draco, Happy Christmas."  
  
"Happy Christmas" the others responded. Hermione and Neville walked to the fireplace and with a little flue powder, disappeared.  
  
Draco departs a minute later, after giving Neville and Ron big hugs. "I'll see you all soon. And Colin, keep your head up, okay?" He says as he walks into the fireplace.  
  
Colin gathers the few glasses and plates of snacks left sitting out and takes them into the kitchen. "You don't have to clean up, Colin." Ron says as he follows him in with the empty wine bottle and a few odds and ends.  
  
"Well, Ron, you and Seamus are letting me stay here for Christmas since my folks are all ill, so I want to do a little."  
  
"Alright, just a bit. I'm going to turn in so is there anything else can get you?"  
  
"Nope, all my stuff is in the guest bedroom, so as long as there are blankets, I'm fine."  
  
"Blankets, yeah, I knew I'd forgotten something. I'll get them."  
  
"I'll turn the lights out once I finish my wine, Ron."  
  
"That's fine. See you in the morning. I'll try to keep Seamus quiet if he gets home before you get up."  
  
"'Night Ron."  
  
Colin walked back into the living room and glanced at the tree and then out the window. It was so beautiful. He finished his glass and looked back at the tree for a final time that night.  
  
"Harry, sometimes I swear I can feel you still. Like you are so close, but so far. I still love you, Harry." with that he reached for the plug on the wall to turn the lights off. A sudden switch in intensity and a small rustling noise brought his attention back to the tree again. He looked back at it, and barely held in a gasp. The lights had re-arranged themselves on the tree. Some had turned off, while others were now chasing. Colin had a hard time believing what he was seeing.  
  
"Colin I still love you." he said aloud, reading the lights on the tree. "Draco was right, wasn't he, Harry? You're not completely gone. I always thought you were with me."  
  
Colin looked at the tree for what seemed like an eternity, but was really only about 5 minutes. A huge yawn struck him and he reached down and turned the lights off. He went to bed and could swear that Harry was there beside him.  
  
  
  
Hope you liked it. I was going to write a ghost of Christmas past thing, but this came out instead. I would, as always, love to know what you thought about it, so give me a bunch of reviews for Christmas. That's all I want. Well, that and a new jeep. Anyway,  
  
Merry Christmas!! 


End file.
